Devices with the same screen resolution as the supposed iPad 3 "retina" …

Are employees at Apple already using the so-called iPad 3—possibly running iOS 6—to surf the Web ahead of its expected announcement on March 7? We're not sure, but the Ars magic 8-ball says "signs point to yes."

While digging through our logs in preparation for our monthly browser stat report, we found 346 (update: actually 365) visits from a device with a screen resolution of 2048x1536—the exact resolution rumored for the "retina" display in the next-generation iPad. Although a screen resolution by itself isn't much to go on, a quick search around the Web indicates that there are very few devices in current use that have this same resolution. (There is a $5,000 NEC display for medical use with that resolution.)

Google Analytics shows some folks stopping by using devices of an interesting screen resolution

But to add to this discovery, we began looking at iPad user agents coming from Apple's corporate IP block in Cupertino and discovered that Apple appears to be surfing the Web using iPads running what looks like iOS 6.0. The whole listing shows iPads running iOS 5, iOS 5.0.1 (the current public release), iOS 5.1 (the upcoming release currently available to developers), and iOS 6. The iPads that appear to be running iOS 6 are also using a slightly newer build of WebKit—the older OSes all show WebKit 534.46, while the ones claiming to be iOS 6 show WebKit build 535.8.

We don't think Apple plans to release iOS 6 along with a new iPad this month, but it seems clear that the next major version of the operating system is on the way. (It's more likely that Apple will release iOS 5.1 to the public when the next iPad hits the streets.) We're willing to guess that we might end up seeing a preview of the new OS on Wednesday, however, with a release date sometime later in the year to coincide with a next-gen iPhone release.

What do you think? Be sure to let us know.

Update: This post is now being picked up by a number of publications that seem to be conflating the two pieces of evidence. The screen resolution numbers aren't necessarily connected to the iPads running iOS 6; they could be completely unrelated. The only thing we're sure of is that there are iPads that claim to be running iOS 6 browsing Ars Technica from Apple's campus in Cupertino. Whether those exact iPads are iPad 3s with "retina" displays remains unknown.

Jacqui Cheng
Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more. Emailjacqui@arstechnica.com//Twitter@eJacqui

I didn't know screen res was part of the data we bring with us when we visit sites.

Yup. It's used all the time to figure out the max width a site wants to target for its design. E.g., if 99% of users have screens above 1300px in width, then someone might design a site to be, say, 1000px wide. If 25% still are 1024, though, maybe it's better to stick with 800px max...

From what I remember Apple NEVER updates the user agent in Safari until the product ships, even iOS 5 beta showed it as being iOS 4.X until something like beta 5 or something like that. So if public developer builds don't reflect the new UA I don't think pre-release would either.

I didn't know screen res was part of the data we bring with us when we visit sites.

It's really useful actually. I use that data when designing Ars for instance to make sure I'm not just making assumptions about screen rez based on what we use at the Orbital HQ. So for example our most common visitor rez is 1920x1080, but a quick scan of the stats shows that designing our site for being 1900 px wide (gah!) would be a bad idea.

Edit: Dangit Foresman, this is what I get for trying to work while leaving my comment half written.

From what I remember Apple NEVER updates the user agent in Safari until the product ships, even iOS 5 beta showed it as being iOS 4.X until something like beta 5 or something like that. So if public developer builds don't reflect the new UA I don't think pre-release would either.

The logs don't lie—the UA strings come from iPads being used on Apple's IP block. It makes little sense IMO for Apple to be putting fake UA strings in there that could lead someone think they are testing iOS 6.0 if they aren't.

Not a single article on the internet that I have read mentions even a rumored pixel density for the rumored iPad 3/HD. It's silly that so many "professionals" are jumping the gun in stating that it is retina, when the pixel density could still be less than the iPhone 4/4S. It's extremely likely that it is high density, but at least clarify the difference.

WIth that mini-rant out of the way.... => People could be spoofing the user agent information, but why would they? They would have to have a suspicion that people were going to look at it and discover the "secret." Or they just don't care because R&D at Apple works on several different Apple devices that never see the light of day and this could all be very misleading. I'm actually surprised that iOS6 may be planned for 2012. For some reason I suspected Apple to hold off until 2013 and marginally enhance iOS5.

I didn't know screen res was part of the data we bring with us when we visit sites.

It's really useful actually. I use that data when designing Ars for instance to make sure I'm not just making assumptions about screen rez based on what we use at the Orbital HQ. So for example our most common visitor rez is 1920x1080, but a quick scan of the stats shows that designing our site for being 1900 px wide (gah!) would be a bad idea.

Edit: Dangit Foresman, this is what I get for trying to work while leaving my comment half written.

WIll this be one of those "one more thing's" at the end of next week's presentation? iOS 6?

Interesting.

The beta maybe. I hope its the beta actually, if they release the beta in March, then its likely we'll get the new phone in June/July. If they don't release the iOS beta until WWDC, then the new phone is likely months away still -- since the release of iOS always the same week as the phone, and in last year's case, the release of the phone is delayed until iOS is ready.

As far as I'm aware, Google Analytics uses Javascript to determine the screen resolution (as it's not sent as part of a user-agent string), so you'd not only have to get the page with custom user agent and be in the right IP block, but also call ga.js, faking the JS outputs.

From what I remember Apple NEVER updates the user agent in Safari until the product ships, even iOS 5 beta showed it as being iOS 4.X until something like beta 5 or something like that. So if public developer builds don't reflect the new UA I don't think pre-release would either.

The logs don't lie—the UA strings come from iPads being used on Apple's IP block. It makes little sense IMO for Apple to be putting fake UA strings in there that could lead someone think they are testing iOS 6.0 if they aren't.

While it is all likely true, as it doesn't make one bit of sense that Apple isn't already dog fooding their new product that is pretty close to public unveiling, another side of the coin is that things like iOS 6 are running on development hardware, and not actual iPads.

All in all it doesn't really matter, we all know the retina display is coming in this release. The bigger and more popular Apple gets, the harder it is going to be to keep their secrets prior to launches.

Not a single article on the internet that I have read mentions even a rumored pixel density for the rumored iPad 3/HD. It's silly that so many "professionals" are jumping the gun in stating that it is retina, when the pixel density could still be less than the iPhone 4/4S. It's extremely likely that it is high density, but at least clarify the difference.

So if I spoof my useragent to say NT 9.0 are you guys going to report that there's a new version of windows no one has seen yet browsing the site?

Did you somehow break into Microsoft's headquarters and get onto their secure network before spoofing your user agent and then browsing the Internet?

While I value my job too much to pull some kind of malarky like that (or to troll Ars, you guys rock), I do admit it would be pretty funny. #PostingFromXboxHQ

Pretty cool investigative work Ars, I for one don't really use Apple stuff (personal preference, no corporate cool-aid. I can appreciate them, just not for me). But when it comes to pushing higher res displays into portable devices, I am all for it. And as they say, the competition is good!I'm also drooling over the rumored specs reported on the galaxy S III's screen.